How You Doing?
by Del Rion
Summary: Steve should have seen it coming since the day the two met each other, but in between defeating HYDRA and finding Bucky, he got a little distracted. (Written for Kink Bingo.)


**Story Info**

 **Title:** How You Doing?

 **Author:** Del Rion

 **Fandom:** Captain America (MCU)

 **Timeline:** post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier

 **Genre:** Fluff

 **Rating:** T / FRT

 **Characters:** James "Bucky" Barnes (Winter Soldier), Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Steve Rogers (Captain America), Sam Wilson (Falcon).

 **Pairings:** Natasha/Sam

 **Summary:** Steve should have seen it coming since the day the two met each other, but in between defeating HYDRA and finding Bucky, he got a little distracted.  
Complete.

 **Written for:** Fills a square on my card on _Kink Bingo_ 's round 6 (square: tickling)

 **Warnings:** Sexual undertones, very light bondage, mild references to canonical violence.

 **Disclaimer:** Avengers and Marvel Cinematic Universe, including characters and everything else, belong to Marvel, Marvel Studios, Joss Whedon, Joe Johnston, Anthony  & Joe Russo, Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. In short: I own nothing; this is pure fiction created to entertain likeminded fans for no profit whatsoever.

 **Beta:** Mythra (mythras-fire)

* * *

 **About** ** _How You Doing?_** **:** This is what happens when I'm supposed to be writing a longer story and I keep getting distracted – and found me some CA:TWS online to satisfy my re-watch urges (before the DVD came out).

* * *

 **Story and status:** Below you see the writing process of the story. If there is no text after the title, then it is finished and checked. Possible updates shall be marked after the title.

 **How You Doing?**

* * *

. . .

* * *

 **How You Doing?**

* * *

They were at Sam's place in D.C., the space a bit on the small side for four people but better than a motel room; those they'd had their fill of, to last a lifetime or two.

 _Worth it_ , thought Steve as he glanced up to see Bucky seated on the couch, staring at the TV with an almost vacant expression. His eyes moved to follow the action on the screen, though – some high-octane action picture with impossible stunts and heroes that could take any kind of beating and still walk away from it – but as long as his shoulders stayed relaxed and his left arm didn't start twitching, Steve didn't worry that he was getting too caught up in the film.

The shower had stopped running a while ago, but Natasha and Sam were still missing. As if to answer the question of their whereabouts, the bed springs groaned behind the closed door of Sam's bedroom and a throaty laugh rose over the sound of the action on the television.

Bucky's eyes flashed up for barely a second, checking the door and then returning to the screen.

Steve did the same, out of habit, then went back to reading _Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy_ – a book he had picked out of Sam's collection.

After a very brief respite, the bed springs whined again – followed by a burst of laughter from Sam. It went on longer than someone reacting to a joke, turning a little breathless by the end before disappearing again.

Steve frowned, trying to focus on the book. It didn't help that he kept watching Bucky from the corner of his eye, to make sure nothing got him going; he had bolted a few times, always for a different reason, whether it was to regroup – only to remember there was no one to regroup with – or to beat up the drunken guy in the next room at the motel when he made the mistake of coming out to pick a fight.

"Come on!" Sam exclaimed rather loudly, then laughed again – then downright squealed and grunted.

Bucky's eyes rose from the TV screen again, a frown creasing his forehead.

Steve glanced at the bedroom door, wondering what they were doing. Probably not sparring because they were all still a little bruised from the impromptu run-in with a small HYDRA unit… Maybe they were just a little keyed up, blowing off some steam.

The echoes of more grunting carried through the door, suppressed and bitten back, yet which eventually broke the barrier and erupted in wild, hysterical laughter. Steve could almost see a vein popping up on Bucky's forehead and tensed as the brunet got to his feet and headed for the door.

Steve dropped the book and jumped across the living room table, arm reaching out just as Bucky shoved the door open, cracking the wood surrounding the lock. At least he didn't kick it in… Once the door was wide open, Bucky stilled, enabling Steve to get close enough to restrain him if need be; Bucky didn't like being touched, and Steve tried to avoid it at all costs unless he was welcomed to do it.

Seeing as Bucky wasn't moving to attack, Steve leaned a bit to the side to watch over his shoulder, to see what Bucky was seeing: Sam was on his back on the bed, a towel haphazardly twisted around his hips where it must have been tied snugly before. His hands were restrained above his head by what looked like one of Natasha's tops, and Natasha was seated on top of Sam's knees, wearing nothing but her underwear. Both their heads were turned towards the doorway, Sam looking like he had been caught with his hand down his pants. Natasha, on the other hand, masked any shame she might have been feeling.

"We, uh…" Sam finally stammered, far from his usual quick-witted responses. He seemed mortified, almost.

One of Natasha's hands – both of which had been resting on Sam's waist – shifted up along his ribs, nails drawing a faint line barely visible on the dark skin. Sam's entire body jerked as if he had been electrocuted, his face turning towards her, his jaw clenched. There was a whole lot of communication going on in that one heated look, followed by a teasing, dark smile from Natasha.

Steve felt like they had walked in on something deeply intimate and knew they should leave. Communicating that to Bucky was another story, though.

It wasn't as if they weren't aware of it: after the distraction of their first battle together, each time Natasha and Sam saw each other the ensuing flirtation was blatant. Steve supposed it had been like that from that very first _'How you doing?'_ , and it just got worse – or better, depending on how one looked at it. They were both equally impressed by each other – even Natasha, who would never admit it – and their continued cooperation with Steve's search for Bucky had given them plenty of time to bond.

At some point, bonding had become something completely different, which was why Steve wasn't totally unprepared for the sight in front of him. He just hadn't expected it to be quite like that.

Natasha's nails drew another line, with even less pressure this time. Steve could see Sam fighting back the urge to react, to not make a sound – something he had failed to do prior to Bucky bursting in through the door. It felt wrong that Natasha didn't stop now that they weren't alone anymore, like she was playing a game and toying with Sam… which was entirely possible, considering who she was.

Steve gave Bucky a careful look, feeling like they should leave. Sam looked like he would prefer some privacy – and this was his home, so they should abide by his wishes. Natasha should, too, but seeing as she had the upper hand, perhaps their… thing… was part of that.

The nigh on painful silence stretched, pierced by Sam's sharp breaths as Natasha kept teasing his skin, fingers traveling across all those ticklish spots Steve could relate to. He was debating how badly it would end if the tried to pull Bucky back from the doorway, but was saved as the other made up his mind without any outside influence:

"I'm watching a movie," Bucky declared, voice ominous. Clearly watching the film had been more important to him than Steve had guessed.

Without another word – his message now delivered – Bucky turned around and reached back to draw the door shut with enough force to make it bounce back open after it collided with the doorframe, the doorknob letting out a sound of protestation.

Steve gave Sam and Natasha an awkward look and reached out to shut the door with less force, closing it as properly as possible, giving them some privacy. When he turned around, Bucky had returned to the couch and was holding the remote – then pointed it at the screen and pressed a button several times, raising the volume.

Suppressing a sigh of relief, Steve retrieved his book and settled down in his previous spot, not hearing any more laughter from the bedroom. Bucky must have heard something, though, because in the following hour he adjusted the volume twice, scowling at the screen each time. None of the sounds provoked him to get up again, though, and when Natasha exited the bedroom half an hour later, she gave Bucky a smile and suggested they get hot dogs and pizza for dinner.

Bucky liked hot dogs and pizza.

In the bedroom, Sam groaned and hit the shower again, whereas Natasha looked radiant and happy as she made herself a cup of tea and sat at the kitchen table to read the paper.

Bucky went back to watching his movie and Steve continued reading his book, knowing they would tell him when it was time to go eat; he suspected Sam was going to be hungry.

 **The End**


End file.
